About 14% of employed U.S. adults work from home. Remote work has many perks, but the drawbacks include feeling isolated or “out of the loop.” These downsides can be experienced by truck drivers on a daily basis.
According to a November 2023 Drive My Way survey, drivers rank communication and “getting management to listen” second only to pay as their top reasons for changing jobs. Less-experienced drivers—those in the industry for less than two years—are more sensitive to these issues. Only 40% of these respondents are satisfied with fleet communications, prompting 75% to seek new jobs within the last three months.
Truckload fleets can bridge the communication divide with drivers of all experience levels. One effective strategy is deploying custom mobile apps that give drivers access to all the information and tools they need to do their jobs effectively and efficiently, inside and outside the cab.
Recently, Fraley and Schilling, a truckload fleet with more than 650 trucks and flatbed, dry van, tanker, and intermodal operations, transformed its driver experience with a mobile driver app.
“We're adding automation to make work more transparent for drivers. We want them to be informed without needing to contact someone,” Ryan Schilling, EVP of the Rushville, Indiana, based fleet, said. “We want to be there for drivers if they need us, but I am passionate about trying to automate as many things as possible.”
Fraley and Schilling’s greater transparency and automation for drivers and office staff is helping to maximize cost savings and revenue in a challenging freight market.
Moving quickly
In order to speed development, Fraley and Schilling used a mobile driver app platform with pre-built components and integrations with its transportation management software and ELD telematics, among other systems. The fully integrated workflow of the fleet’s Connect app allows drivers to plan trips quickly and accurately, capture documents, complete arrival/departure forms, and handle other tasks.
The workflow prevents extra work by instantly validating the information drivers enter. For example, Fraley and Schilling has a simple form drivers use to “self-dispatch” loads when they arrive at specific customer locations for pickups after regular business hours.
Fraley and Schilling’s self-dispatch prompts drivers to enter a load reference number and assign themselves to loads in the company’s TMS. If they miss or incorrectly enter digits, the workflow says the load is “unavailable for self-dispatch” and asks the driver to verify the number and try again.
Simultaneously, the driver's fleet manager gets an email to review the entry, determine why the load could not be self-dispatched, and proactively call or message the driver to resolve the issue.
Once a load is correctly entered, the app updates drivers’ arrivals and departures from customer locations in the fleet’s TMS, sending customers tracking information via EDI. Upon delivery, the driver scans the paperwork for the load, and the fleet immediately invoices the customer.
The self-dispatching feature gives drivers complete control over the length of their workday within hours-of-service parameters. This allows drivers to pick up and deliver loads more efficiently and sometimes fit in an extra load to maximize revenue and earnings.
In addition, Fraley and Shilling’s Connect app gives drivers more control over their pay by ensuring every load is accurately completed and accounted for.
See also: Fontana: Communication between fleet management and drivers is vital
Training on demand
Greater transparency and automation remove uncertainty from drivers’ work. This also applies to training. If drivers have questions about load securement, equipment, safety, or other topics, they can immediately access training content through their fleet’s app.
When recruiting drivers, fleets can send new hires a link to download their apps before orientation meetings. From the app, drivers can access multi-media training content from learning management systems and fleets’ media libraries to prepare for the job and set realistic expectations.
A fleet can get newly hired drivers on the road the same day or the next day after they undergo orientation, saving hotel costs and increasing revenue. While on the road, drivers continue to access information and training content about their equipment, safety policies, and other topics, keeping them connected and engaged.
The keys to transparency
Giving drivers a modern, remote office with wireless connectivity inside and outside the cab is essential to advance in this fast-moving industry. Many fleets use easy-to-deploy custom apps to remove uncertainty from drivers’ workdays, allowing them to efficiently complete non-driving tasks like trip planning, communications, and training from anywhere.
Is your mobile strategy helping drivers maximize driving time and preventing costly errors contributing to turnover? If not, now is a time to revisit options that best meet your business and driver needs. By simplifying tasks and providing all the tools drivers need to do their jobs, you can return them to the road faster, generating higher revenue and retention.
